


Elevator to Heaven Anyone?

by ExplainingTheIndescribable



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alcohol, F/F, Fluff, an elevator - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:57:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9464264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExplainingTheIndescribable/pseuds/ExplainingTheIndescribable
Summary: In a future/parallel universe, Callie and Arizona end up at the same medical conference. Alcohol and fond memories can be a dangerous combination.





	

Callie’s phone buzzed twice on her bedside table. She blearily reached to check if it was from the hospital. It was not.

Yang 04:29 We’re going to a medical conference. Pack your bags.

Callie stared a little harder at the screen before tugging the phone down under the quilt, wanting to stay tucked in the warmth as much as possible. As great as the temptation was to just go back to sleep, there was no way Cristina would _not_ bombard her with texts if she didn’t get a response.

Torres 04:31 What?

Yang 04:34 The Chief’s forcing me to do the keynote.

Yang 04:35 And signed you up to fill-in for another ortho speaker.

Torres 04:37 Tell her I can’t! I don’t do public speaking Cristina…

Yang 04:41 Take it up with Chiefy on the way. I’ve got a cab waiting downstairs.

Torres 04:41 …

Yang 04:42 Greyhound leaves in twenty minutes.

One rushed, and more than a little harried phone conversation with the Chief later, had Callie was frantically stuffing clothing into a duffle bag. Why she would need two tank tops, one shirt, jeans, a smart skirt, a swimming suit and three odd socks at a medical conference, however, she would later question as she unpacked in her hotel room, overlooking Miami Beach.

~~~~

Arizona hadn’t paid much attention to the programme a steward had given her as she rushed in. A last minute request to attend the conference in someone else’s place, followed by a heated discussion about why she refused to fly there and then a delayed train, had left her rather frazzled. All of that combined with a total of four hours of sleep, after a 26 hour shift, had left her _exhausted_. She chose a seat in the back row for that exact reason. She may to be here, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t catch some shut-eye, just for a moment…

It was while Arizona’s eyes were ‘resting’ that Callie strode in, eyes already scanning the rows, picking a seat a few rows back from the front, so she could snap a few clear pictures of her friend giving the opening speech at such a prestigious event.

Despite how quickly Arizona had managed to fall asleep, it didn’t last long once the applause began as the first speaker was introduced. What kept her awake though, was the sight of her old colleague Cristina Yang, standing at the podium. All thoughts of sleep drifted ever further from her mind as she scanned the crowd, wondering if maybe… or maybe not. There was no-one in the crowd with Callie’s short dark hair. Ten minutes, and what was actually a very interesting address later, Arizona spotted her. Callie was the first to stand, clapping with gusto as she beamed at her friend. Yang even managed to smile back. Arizona clapped without really noticing she was doing it. Her thoughts racing a million miles per millisecond as she gazed at her ex-wife.

~~~

Callie was sitting at the bar, nervously rehearsing her talk for what felt like the millionth time… yet she didn’t feel prepared for tomorrow. Not in the slightest. And what made it worse, was the very real fear that someone would notice and call her on it. They there would be a room full of people, staring at her and expecting her to- Her train of thought was stopped from progressing further down the rabbit hole by a very familiar voice.

“I like the long hair”

Callie turned, dropping a cue card in the process.

“Arizona...”

Callie breathed as the blonde knelt down to pick up the stray cue card and held it out to Callie.

“It’s good to see you Callie.”

“You too! Arizona, you look... You look great.”

Callie’s eyes had been fixed on Arizona’s, but wandered to her lips as Arizona grinned her signature dimpled grin. Arizona’s grin grew a little wider as she noticed Callie staring, before the bartender interrupts.

“What can I get you?”

There’s a moment where neither of them want Arizona to leave. But she can’t exactly stay, either… can she?

Arizona turns to Callie, fidgeting slightly with her hands.

“I- ahem, I’m actually waiting for an old colleague. But I mean if you don’t mind the company…”

Callie gestures to the seat next to her.

“Go right ahead. Though I should warn you, I’m also waiting for someone.”

Arizona takes the seat and orders a glass of red before offering Callie one too. She accepts with a smirk.

“Trying to get me drunk already?”

Arizona grins and sips delicately from her glass.

“Well it might help later, if your date winds up being your typical conference speaker…”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m one of those conference speakers.  And you know, I think Yang and I are better off as friends anyway.”

Arizona laughs as Callie pretends to consider dating one of her closest friends.

“Hang on, did you just say you were a speaker? I thought you hated public speaking!”

Callie gives her a look then takes a large gulp.

“Oh I do. This was not by choice. “

Callie groans and leans into her hand, elbow resting on the bar as she tries not to think about standing on a stage in front of a large group of people… Arizona sees the flicker of subdued panic in her eyes. A distraction appears to be in order.

“Remember last time you stood on a stage for that presentation?”

Callie laughter turns to an exaggerated groan as she buries her head in her hands.

“How could I forget?”

Arizona places a hand on her forearm softly.

“Hey, don’t forget you wowed them in the end. And I’m sure you’ll do it again.”

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

It was a small voice, for the usually confident surgeon, self-professed superstar and certified bad-ass. But it spoke of decades of being afraid of public speaking. Years of avoiding doing anything that would lead to her standing in front a group of people, silently judging her.

“You can do anything Callie, you’re amazing."

Callie gave her a half-shrug and took another sip of wine.

"Hey, I mean it Calliope. You’ve made cartilage in a lab from nothing. You’ve healed hundreds of bones and saved, what? Thousands of lives? You’re a superstar with a scalpel! Or in this case maybe a mic… Either way, all those people out there? They are so, so lucky because they’re going to get to see you talk about your passion. You shouldn't be the nervous one, they should be.”

Callie stared somewhere over Arizona's shoulder for a long moment before murmuring so quietly Arizona nearly missed it.

“Yeah, and see that supermagic smile.”

Instead of the laugh or sympathic look Callie expected in response to her sarcastic patheticness, Arizona simply nodded and as she caught the gaze of those baby blues, it was at that moment that it hit her. Arizona truly believed in her, that she could overcome this fear through her own willpower.  The sincerity of her gaze and the comforting warm touch on her arm was enough to make Callie forget her trepidation, if only for a moment. In that moment, all Callie could think about was cupping Arizona’s cheek and bringing her lips closer to her own- Any decision to act on that feeling was halted swiftly by the overeager bartender who was quickly chased off by a death glare or two. His colleague returned a few minutes later with another two large glasses of red wine. The night wore on and the moment was forgotten. As were both their standing evenings with their respective old friends after a quick check for a text hours ago requesting a raincheck from each.

Arizona laughed as Callie told her the story of one particularly funny patient she’s had a few weeks ago, before the short, sharp ringing of a bell interrupted them.

“Last call already?”

Callie checked her watch, her forehead crinkled before her eyes opened comically wide.

“Gone midnight… well I guess we were both stood up.”

Arizona joked as Callie tapped her watch, shock still playing across her features.

“Yeah… we must’ve been here a lot longer than I thought!”

“Yeah, must’ve been.”

Arizona yawned suddenly and Callie raised an eyebrow before feigning holding a hand over her heart dramatically, as though she were offended.

“Gosh, I’m sorry, didn’t realise I was boring you.”

Arizona grinned.

“You? boring?”

The second yawn that happened at exactly the inopportune moment, was also not planned.

“Alright, alright sleepy-head. I get the picture.”

Callie pretended to roll her eyes and grinned, before whispering under her breath, “lightweight.”

The only indication that Arizona had heard her was in the slightly narrowed eyes sent her way.

Though neither particularly wanted the night to end, the hotel bar was closing, and it didn’t look like they had another option other than going to their respective rooms. They left the lobby after settling the tab equally between them, both heading for the elevator lobby. There was a companionable silence as they waited, standing so close together either only had to stretch their fingers out a little to be holding the other’s hand.

It wasn’t until they stepped into the lift that Callie broke the silence.

“Before you go, I just wanted to say thanks.”

Arizona turns to face her fully and raised a quizzical eyebrow, standing right over where the doors would close.

“What for?”

“You know, the whole pep talk. Telling me how great I am and everything else. It was quite the speech and I think... it was exactly what I needed tonight.”

Callie shrugged slightly as Arizona’s lips curved into a smile, her dimples making themselves known on her cheeks as she tilted her head to the side.

The doors opened onto Arizona’s floor.

 “Good, I’m glad.”

Arizona hesitates before meeting Callie’s eyes once more.

“I meant every word.”

It’s a split second decision Callie makes as Arizona turns to leave, turns to walk out of the elevator and her life once more.

Callie reaches forward and tugs Arizona around by her arm, pushing her up against the wall of the elevator and closing the distance between them in a fluid motion. Without hesitationArizona returns the favuor, pressing a bruising kiss to Callie's lips. They break apart for a moment, before Arizona nudges Callie's nose with her own and smiles as she leans into another kiss. Callie can't help but smile back, breaking their kiss again because of it, until they are both just staring each other with goofy grins on their faces and struggling not to burst out laughing.

The elevator doors closed.


End file.
